Bronx teacher accused of taking student’s hijab faces charges

Police say a substitute teacher was arrested Tuesday in Allerton after being accused of ripping a hijab off a 7-year-old girl’s head while she was studying in class.

THE BRONX -

A substitute teacher faced a judge on Thursday after being accused of ripping a hijab off an 8-year-old girl's head while she was studying in class.

Police say 31-year-old Oghenetega Edah has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child and aggravated harassment as a hate crime.

The P.S. 76 elementary student says Edah ordered her to take off her hijab after she was misbehaving in class on May 2. When she refused, she claims Edah ripped off the religious covering from her head and injured her eye while doing so.

Department of Education officials say Edah was fired right after the alleged incident.

Earlier this month, another 7-year-old student claims that just moments after the incident, Edah came after him and beat him several times. However, the suspect is not facing any charges in connection to the second claim.

News 12 was told the former substitute teacher had a clean record before his arrest.

News 12 has recently updated to a brand new version of our iOS and Android apps. If you don't have auto updates enabled on your devices, head to the App Store or Google Play Store to update to the latest version. This will ensure you keep getting up-to-date local news, traffic and weather information.

The moments leading up to a shooting of a Bronx man who was killed by police after refusing to put down a machete remain foggy since members of the NYPD's Emergency Services Division are not yet equipped with body cameras.

The moments leading up to a shooting of a Bronx man who was killed by police after refusing to put down a machete remain foggy since members of the NYPD's Emergency Services Division are not yet equipped with body cameras.